Jotul F500 Oslo ????

[DBrooks]

I bought a used F500 a while back and the seller told me it was 5 years old, selling because he has a bad back ....bla, bla, bla yea whatever. Anyway, it is a nice stove but I have had no luck trying to find out the true age of this stove. It is the first Jotul I have ever owned and I don't really know the history of them but I see that this stove has a removable ash pan handle not the permanent one you see in brochures from Jotul.

Can anyone tell what year they changed the handles on these stoves ? I have talked to 1 dealer but he wasn't sure, not the owner just a kid who worked there. Other than that the stove looks just like any F500,very pretty stove and in great condition. The serial number on the back tag looks to read 0006283. It is hard to make out the last number but it is either a 1, 3, or 8 either way it should be in the same build time frame , be it 0006281 or 6283 or 6280 I'm just curious how old this stove really is because the guys story kept changing when he was selling it. Thanks for any info.

 

[begreen]

What is the baffle material? Steel or insulation board? That was a notable change several years ago. Before burning, inspect the base around the perimeter of the grate carefully for cracks.

 

[DBrooks]

It has the 2 plates above the baffles. I took a grinder with a wire wheel on it today and I found a crack at the corner of the inside bottom base of the fire box. A hair line crack that looks to be about 3 or 4 inches long. The crack is the only thing I have found wrong with this stove other than the crack it looks beautiful. All parts intact, no broken bolts, nothing warped, nice glass I'm going to reseal the doors and any other parts I can get off and reseal fairly easy even though they seem tight.

 

[begreen]

Are the 2 plates made of a non-metallic, lightweight material? If so this sounds like it may be when they changed over from the metal baffle. I think that was around 6 yrs ago, but don't hold me to that date. Sorry to hear about the discovery. A base crack is usually serious. Normally it means replacing the stove base.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/baffle-plates-for-jotul-f500.54760/

 

[DBrooks]

No the plates are two heavy plates.

 

[begreen]

Lightweight may not be the right term. I meant compared to their metal equivalent. Try a magnet on them. Are they thick and non-metallic?

 

[DBrooks]

They are 2 pieces of cast iron with a piece of insulation on top. Thanks for that link.

 

[begreen]

OK, that sounds like an earlier model than 2010.
You'll want to watch that crack very carefully. Maybe drill a tiny hole at the end to stop it from spreading. Then rub in some furnace cement into it. The odds are the previous owner used the ash pan door to start the fire and spaced it a few times or many. That is a pretty sure way to crack the base on these stoves.

 

[Woody Stover]

odds are the previous owner used the ash pan door to start the fire and spaced it

That brings up the question, what is your chimney setup (liner or through the roof) and how tall is it? I think the F500 is one of the Jotuls that likes ample draft. Short stack, if that was the case, could be the reason why he had to use the ash door...

 

[begreen]

Possible, though one never should need to use the ash pan door for starting. Opening the side or front door slightly should suffice for getting the fire started. Secondary combustion is what may be poor with a short chimney. This is assuming dry kindling and firewood. Poorly seasoned wood seems to be a more common issue with poor starts.

 

[firefighterjake]

I think I can reasonably tell you that this Oslo is at least seven years old . . . the Oslos I saw (and the one I bought) in 2008 had the permanent handle on the ash pan door. Also, in 2008 Oslos were using the light-weight (non metal) baffle.